Drop action for vertical pianos



Sept 17, 1957' F. T. MACHALEK DROP AcTroN RoR VERTICAL. Plz-mos Filed Aug. 25, 1954 JN V EN TOR.

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ATTORNEYS.

United States Narent C DROP ACTION FR VERTICAL PIAN S Ferdinand T. Machalek, Cincinnati, Ohio, assigner to The Baldwin Piano Company, Cincinnati, Ghia, a corporation of Ohio Application August 23, 1954, Serial No. 451,474 12 Claims. (Cl. 84-240) The invention relates to actions for pianos or pianolike instruments having keyboards, and strings arranged in a vertical plane or planes wherein the hammers strike the strings at positions below the keyboard. Such actions are ordinarily called drop actions.

It is an object of the invention to provide a drop action of simpliiied and inexpensive construction.

It is an object of the invention to provide a drop action in which the hammers have their heads located at a lower level than their pivot points, whereby the vertical extent of the action is diminished.

It is an object of the invention to provide an action of diminished front-to-rear dimensions enabling the keyboard to be brought closer to the frame on which the strings are supported, thus limiting the front-to-rear dimension of the instrument.

It is an object of the invention to provide an action not requiring mechanical interlocks with the keys but providing for the direct actuation of wippen members by underlying key portions, whereby the keys of the keybed are removable `and replaceable independently or as a group without disturbing the action.

It is an object of the invention to provide an action of the character set forth wherein the action parts do not rise substantially above the level of the top of the keys, which action, when employed with a string frame also confined to or below key level, permits the production of an instrument in which the keys are located substantially at the top of the piano case.

It is an object of the invention to provide a piano action adequately fulfilling all of the requirements of such structures with a marked simplication of parts.

These and other objects of the invention which will be set forth hereinafter or will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading this specification are accomplished by that construction and arrangement of parts of which certain exemplary embodiments will now be described. Reference is made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a partial Vertical sectional View of an instrument, showing a frame, a key assembly and the action of this invention.

Figure 2 is a related partial sectional view showing the position of the action parts when a key is depressed.

Figure 3 is a related partial sectional view showing the inactivation of the dampers by a loud pedal mechanism.

Figure 4 is a perspective View with parts in section showing an exemplary relationship to the frame of the keyboard and action supports.

Figure 5 is a partial sectional view showing a modied loud pedal arrangement.

Briey in the practice of the invention a rearwardly pivoted wippen member is caused at its front end to overlie the rear end of a key so as to be actuated thereby. The wippen has an integral downward extension to which the butt of a hammer is pivoted. The hammer shank extends downwardly from the butt, and the hammer head is located at the lower end of the hammer shank. The combined length of the wippen extension and the hammer structure is such as to bring the hammer head t0 the proper position for the striking of its string, at a point well below the key level. The jack is pivoted to a rail located behind the butts of the various hammers, and is actuated by the wippen extension. The back check is also located on the jack rail. The damper is supported by a wire attached to the wippen extension. In this construction the damper can be removed from the contact with its string by a slight movement or repositioning of the wippen, insuiiicient to actuate the hammer as will hereinafter be explained.

The action of this invention requires only two rails, i. e. a jack rail and a wippen iiange rail. The latter rail can be mounted at the top of the frame in a small instrument and the jack rail may, if desired, be mounted on brackets also on the frame. The action can readily be removed as a unit by the disengagement of the two rails. The frame can, if desired, be of that type in which the strings at the top are carried from a vertical to a horizontal position over an arcuate surface, so as to engage vertically arranged tuning pins which are located behind the action and substantially at key level. Thus the removal of the top member of a piano case will present in readily accessible positions not only the tuning pins of the instruments but also the action and the keys.

Turning now to the specific description of an instrument, there is shown in Figure l a keybed 1 bearing the conventional three rails 2, 3 and 4 of a keyboard assembly. The keybed 1 is shown as a metal plate but it may have other constructions, as for example of wood, and there may be a longitudinal rail 5 for support beneath the keybed.

The front rail of the key assembly bears the conventional guide posts 6 and 7 for the white and black keys of the keyboard. A white key is indicated at 8 and a biack key at 9. The central rail 3 carries the conventional key pivoting posts 10 which, engaging in elongated, bushed holes in the respective keys, pivots these keys for actuation. The rear rail 4 is a rest rail for the rear ends of the keys when in the non-actuated position. A felt pad 11 or other quieting means is interposed between the rail 4 and the key end, usually being attached to the latter'.

A side case element of the piano is indicated partially at 12; and the keybed may be supported in the piano case in any suitable fashion. In the particular embodiment rearwardly extending rails 13 may be located beneath the keybed, the end rails being attached to the case side elements and also to the longitudinal rail 5. The rails 13, as most clearly shown in Figure 4, may have their rear ends bolted to lugs 14 on the piano frame or plate.

ln the particular embodiment the frame or plate of the piano is indicated at 15, and the strings stretched over the frame at 16. A rearwardly extending frame lug 17 may be employed to support a pin block 18. The frame continues upwardly and rearwardly providing an arcuate portion 19 over which the strings pass to tuning pins 2l), 21. The vibratile length of the strings is determined at the upper part of the instrument by a suitable agratfe. In the particular embodiment the strings engage in grooves 22 in a ridge 23 formed on the frame.

The frame at its ends is preferably provided with upstanding lugs 24 to which a rail 25 may be attached. The rail is thus raised above the strings where they pass over the rounded surface 19.

To the rail 25 a plurality of pivoting means are attached, one for each of the wippens hereinafter described. These pivoting means may be similar to the means used to pivot wippens in conventional actions, and may consist of wooden bodies bifurcated at the forward end so as to receive between the bifurcations the reduced rear portions of the wippens. These pivoting elements are known as flanges and are indicated in the drawings at 26.V They are individually held to the rail by screws V27. Wippen members are indicatedat 2'8. The wippen members are pivoted to Ithe Viianges by means `of pinsY 29 engaging in bushed holes in the anges as is Well known in the art.

A spring 36 may be used to urge the wippen in a counterclockwise direction about the pivot 29. The wippen has a forward extension 28a overlying Ythe rear end of its key; and this extension may be provided with an adjustable capstan screw 31 bearing on a pad 32 on the top of the key end. Alternatively the key end may be provided with a capstan screw.

The wippen 2S ,has `an integral downward extension 33'to which the hammer butt 34 is pivoted as by means Iof a flange 35. The hammer shank and hammer head are indicated at 36 and 37.

A jack rail is shown at 38. This can be supported from the keybed if desired but is preferably supported from the plate or frame of the instrument by brackets 39 as shown in Figure 4. Jacks 4@ are pivoted by means of flanges 41 to the jack rail. Each jack has a nose 40a coac'ting with a portion 34a of the hammer butt. This por- 'tion is normally covered with buckskin or suitable leather.

It will be seen from Figures l and 3 and the structure thus far described that as the key 8 is actuated the wippen 28 will be driven in a clockwise direction carrying the wippen extension 33 to the left. The jack 4t) coacting with the hammer butt 34 starts the hammer under Inomentum toward the string i6. The hammer completes its blow under this momentum. However, as the movement of the wippen continues the jack 49 is thrown out of position by Contact of a forward portion of the wippen eX- tension 33 with an upward extension 40h on the jack. This extension may be provided with an adjustment screw 42'.

Figure 2 shows the key 8 in the fully depressed position. The jack 4t? has been disengaged as just described; but now a forwardly extending portion of the hammer butt 34 has been brought into contact with a back check button 43 held on the end of an adjusting screw 44 engaged in a portion of the rail 33 as shown. The forwardly extending portion vof the hammer butt is usually covered with buckskin as at 45, and the check button 43 may be similarly faced with leather. The purpose of this construction is to check the hammer, i. e. -to prevent repeti- I tions of the initial blow, so long as the key S is held in a depressed position.

A hammer spring 46 for urging the hammer rearwardly is interposed between the wippen extension 33 and the hammer butt 34. Also it will be usual to provide a jack control spring 47 .as shown. The keys of the instrument may be spring urged to the unactuated position if desi'red; but it is simpler and less expensive to provide the rear portions of the keys with weight means 4g let into recesses of the wood and also to provide the wippen extension 33 with a similar weight means 49.

A damper Si), carrying one or more pieces of damper felt 51 is mounted with respect to the wippen extension. This may be accomplished by a bent rod 52 as shown in Figure 1 or by a straight rod 53 engaging a rearward projection 33a of the wippen extension 33. It will be clear that movement of the wippen in the clockwise direction will result in the removal of the damper felt from the string 16. Instruments of this class normally have what is known as a loud or sostenuto pedal, the function of which is to remove ali of the dampers from the strings irrespective of the actuation of the keys. In the structure herein described the wippen members 28 can be rotated a short distance in the clockwise direction for the purpose of removing the dampers from the strings, and the hammers will not be actuated so as to strike the strings so long as the movement is not abrupt `or of too great eX- tent. This provides the opportunity of securing a sostenuto eifect in various simple ways. If the rear ends of the keys are slightly raised, the dampers will be brought away from the strings while the -action will remain in an operative condition. This may be accomplished as shown most clearly in Figure 3 by providing beneath the key ends a simple means for raising them `such as a rod 54 mounted in a bushed groove in the rail 4. A lever member 55 is attached to the rod so as to be capable of rocking it slightly, and the lever in turn may be attached to a pedal (not sh-own) as by a link 56. A tension spring 57 may be employed 'as shown in Figure l to return the rod 54 so that its flattened side permits the rear ends of the keys to occupy their lowest position.

The dampers may likewise be removed from the strings by lowering the rear ends of the wippens 23, i. e. rotating the wippens slightly in a counterclockwise direction. This may be accomplished as shown in Figure 5 by interposing between the rail 25 and the plate lugs 24 a pair of members 58 and 59 pivoted to each other as at 60. Between the members 58 and 59 means can be interposed to vary their angular positions with respect to each other, such as an actuator 6l pivoted oft center to a bracket 62 ion the member 59. The actuator will be connected so as to be moved by a mechanical connection from a pedal (not shown). Figure 5 illustrates the normal position of the elements just described; but if the actuator 61 is moved to the position shown in ldotted lines in this iigure, the rail 25 will be lowered with respect to the frame by an amount sutiicient to cause the dampers to break contact with the strings.

Modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit of it. VThe invention having been described in certain exemplary embodiments, what is' claimed as new and desired to be Vsecured byV Letters Patent is:

l. In a piano action a wippen pivoted at the rear and having connection with a piano key such that the forward end of the wippen will be raised and lowered thereby, said wippen having a downward extension, the lower end of which will have a forward and rear component of motion upon actuation of the wippen, and a hammer having a butt, a shank and a head, said butt being pivoted to the lower end of said wippen extension, and a jack arranged to coact with said hammer butt and pivoted at a stationary point, said jack being arranged to be released by said wippen extension.

2. The structure claimed in claim 1 including check means coasting with said hammer butt in the forwardmost position thereof.

3. The structure claimed in claim 2 wherein a damper is attached to the said wippen extension in position to contact the string of a piano when the wippen is in the unactuated position and to be removed therefrom when the Vlower end of the wippen extension moves forwardly.

4. The structure claimed in claim 3 including means for raising the forward end of the wippen to remove the damper from the string without actuating the said hammer, whereby to obtain a sostenuto effect.

5. The structure claimed in claim 4 wherein the means for raising the forward end of the wippen for sostenuto purposes is a means underlying the rear end of the key and adapted to eiect an upward vshift in the position thereof.

6. The structure claimed in claim 3 including means for lowering the rear pivot of the said wippen whereby to bring said damper away from the'string to secure a sostenuto effect.

7. In a piano a plate, a rail mounted on said plate, wippens pivoted at their rear ends to said rail and eX- tending forwardly from their pivot points, playing keys having rear end portions underlying the Vsaid forward ends of said wippens, said wippens having downward eXtensions, hammers 'having butts, Shanks and heads, the said hammer butts being pivoted respectively to the lower ends of said wippen extensions, a second rail, jack members pivoted with respect to said second rail and having forwardly extending portions coacting with said hammer butts, and upwardly extending portions adapted to be engaged by said wippen extensions whereby to effect release of said jacks, and damper means rigidly mounted to said wippen extensions so as to lie therebelow.

8. The structure claimed in claim 7 including check means for said hammer butts mounted on said second rail.

9. The structure claimed in claim 8 wherein the forward portions of said wippens underlying the rear portions of said keys are provided with capstan screws.

10. The structure claimed in claim 8 including means to raise the rear portions of said keys whereby to bring said damper means out of contact with the strings of said instrument without actuating said hammers.

11. The structure claimed in claim 10 wherein said keys are biased to the non-operated position by weight means in the rear ends thereof and wherein weight means are included in the said wippen extensions.

12. The structure claimed in claim 10 wherein the said plate is employed for the mounting of vertical strings and has a rearward extension in which tuning pins are engaged in a vertical position, said plate having a rounded surface beneath said rst mentioned rail for carrying the strings of the instrument from a substantially vertical to a substantially horizontal position for engagement with said tuning pins.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNlTED STATES PATENTS 447,380 Stirn Mar. 3, 1891 2,141,728 Stein et al. Dec. 27, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS 227,460 Germany Oct. 21, 1910 593,471 Germany Mar. 2, 1934 51,220 Denmark Jan. 22, 1936 49,174 France Aug. 22, 1938 

